The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is buzzing tonight as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) host the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 34th match of IPL 2026 this Friday, April 24. With the race for the playoffs intensifying, this high-stakes encounter in Bengaluru carries immense weight for both sides. However, the pre-match headlines have been dominated by a significant absentee in the RCB camp. The defending champions entered the field today without their explosive opening batter, Phil Salt, sending shockwaves through the local fan base who were expecting another ‘Salt-storm’ at the top of the order.
Why Phil Salt is not playing against Gujarat Titans in today’s game?
The mystery surrounding Salt’s absence was cleared up during the toss by RCB’s captain, Rajat Patidar. Patidar, who won the toss and elected to bowl first, confirmed that the English wicketkeeper-batter was forced to sit out due to an injury. While the specific nature of the injury (whether a recurrence of his previous back issues or a fresh niggle) wasn’t detailed, the captain noted that it was significant enough to necessitate a change in the XI.
“Salty got injured, Bethell is in, I just feel this will be a bowl-first pitch. Chasing gives us a lot of clarity about the result. We are assessing the wicket and the situation pretty well this year,” Patidar stated during the toss.
Salt has been a cornerstone of RCB’s aggressive batting blueprint in 2026, often providing the license to thrill alongside Virat Kohli. His absence paved the way for the young and versatile Jacob Bethell to make his mark. Patidar also noted that the Chinnaswamy surface looked slightly tacky without much grass, suggesting that the ball might hold up in the first innings, a tactical reason behind the decision to field first and shield the adjusted batting lineup from early moisture.
Playing XI and impact substitutes of both the teams
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar.
Impact Subs: Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (w), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.
Impact Subs: Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Nishant Sindhu, Arshad Khan.
Both teams have made tactical adjustments to suit the conditions in Bengaluru. Gujarat Titans, led by Shubman Gill, have handed a debut to veteran all-rounder Jason Holder, aiming to utilize his experience in the death overs. Meanwhile, RCB’s lineup sees a shuffle in the top order to compensate for Salt’s missing firepower.
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